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The small (2.5-3.5 mm) eggs settle into to the substrate. Less than half of these eggs are fertile and predation and low oxygen levels may prevent the hatching of otherwise viable eggs. Eight to 14 days later the eggs hatch. Muskie fry are about one centimetre long and growth is rapid. By early August, the young of the year muskies are 6 inches long and by November they are 10-12 inches (Scott and Crossman, 1973).

Seasonal Movements
Ultra-sonic and radio tracking studies of muskie behaviour were pioneered on the Kawartha Lakes. The results of these studies have dispelled some long-lived myths (e.g., that muskies are territorial) and underscore the importance of protecting shallow water spawning habitat.

Minor and Crossman (1978) tracked 14 Nogies Creek and two Stony Lake muskies over the course of 17 months. All fish established winter and summer home ranges between 0.6 and 1.1 hectares on Nogies Creek and 7.2 hectares for the Stony Lake female. The greatest movements outside of these home ranges were observed during spring and fall when temperatures varied between 10 and 15 C. Home ranges in Nogies Creek overlapped but individuals did not appear to use the same areas and the same time.

Crossman (1990) documented the phenomenon of "reproductive homing" on Stony Lake. Tagged fish were recaptured in spring in the same spawning bay in as many as seven years and there was no movement observed between different spawning sites. The study underscores the importance of limiting shoreline development in the known spawning and nursery areas.

Rick Stronks (1996) tracked the movements of 20 muskies in Lake Scugog over a 14 month period. Scugog muskies pass through the Hwy 7A culvert each spring to spawn and occupy sometimes overlapping home ranges averaging 0.5 sq. km elsewhere on the lake for the remainder of the year. One fish was tracked over 20 km from the spawning site. Whereas other studies report the breakdown of these home ranges in the fall, Scugog muskies were observed in the same areas through the summer and fall. Stronks suggested that this might be related to the abundance of forage throughout the lake.

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